An automobile is often provided with air-conditioning equipment for cooling and warming. In case air-conditioning equipment is provided, conditioned air will be fed and divided into a portion thereof for feeding air into the automobile body for the purpose of cooling, warming or dehumidifying, and a portion thereof for feeding air to defrosters of side defoggers for the purpose of defrosting and defogging the inside surfaces of front and side windows of the automobile.
The air feed of the air-conditioning equipment provided in an automobile (or car) is provided through air blowing ports provided on the front surface of the instrument panel, blowing ports of defrosters provided between the instrument panel and the front window or windshield, and blowing ports of side defoggers provided on both sides of the instrument panel. Thus, the respective air blowing ports are provided as required in different respective places on the instrument panel.
In an automobile provided with air-conditioning equipment, the connection of the respective blowing ports with the air-conditioning equipment and the feed of conditioned air has generally been made as follows. Ducts and nozzles of members separate from the instrument panel are respectively independently provided and are connected with the air-conditioning equipment through flexible tubes or the like.
In such conventional means, first, a duct and nozzle is provided for each blowing port, flexible tubes connecting them with the air-conditioning equipment are required, and fastening and connecting members are also required. The number of component parts is thus very high, and the air-conditioning equipment itself, including the accessories, is consequently very costly.
Secondly, respective members must be arranged on the rear side of the instrument panel and the number of working steps at the time of assembly is necessarily increased. Such assembly work is made in very narrow space, such as on the rear side of the instrument panel, and thus is difficult to perform, is very low in workability, and is undesirable with respect to working efficiency. In addition to the above, the instrument panel is also used as a space for containing various harnesses, and therefore the above-mentioned difficulty of piping and fitting works is increased. Further, the work must be performed so as not to interfere with already-provided harnesses and thus is very difficult and complicated.
Thirdly, the respective ducts and nozzles are fastened and connected through flexible tubes independently, and therefore they collide with or rub at their peripheral parts due to the vibration of the car, and are noisy. Because the respective parts are provided within the car body, they make a noise within the car body and are not desirable in attempting to keep the interior of the car quiet.
The above-mentioned problems in the air-conditioning equipment provided with an automobile are effectively solved by the present invention.